The Defenders: The Defenders

 "It's just a city, They rise. They fall..."

Hmm. I mean, there's nothing wrong with this. It's finale stuff. It does the job. It wraps things up. It's exciting. But... is it me who's feeling perhaps a little underwhelmed?

So Luke, Jessicaand map go down into the bowels of our metaphorical Hell beneath New York. They blow the baddies up. Matt stays behind to try and persuade Elektra to turn good... but she's a baddie precisely because she wants to be with him forever in deatyh and, as she says, "This is what living feels like." It's all very dramatic, but also a bit cliched.

There's so much weight placed on the police captain wanting our heroes arrested, too... but then, at the end, all charges are dropped, no questions asked, part of the cover-up. Oh, there are a few good character moments, I suppose, although not that good. Misty losing her arm is a genuine shock. I have no idea about these nuns who have in some way rescued Matt. But, well, this is a bit of a let down after some good recent episodes.

I'm going to continue blogging all of the formerly Netflix Marvel stuff, fear not. But there's less of a mad rush now, as Daredevil: Born Again won't be rushing upon us on Disney Plusas soon as we thought. Besides, despite Jon Bernthal's impressive performances, I'm not a great fan of the Punisher as a character, and next up is thirteen episodes of him. So I'll be taking a short break and watching a certain animated series in this "slot".Fear not, though. It will be just a short break.

The Defenders: Fish in the Jailhouse

 "Karen, this is my life."

Structurally, this is your typical penultimate episode, maneouvvring everybofy into position for the finale. Matt, Luke and Jessica begin in the police station with tough questiins to anseerr, but by the end they're ar the lair of the Hand, fighting its three remaining fingers. Meanwhile, Elektra tries to persiuade Danny to side with her, abandoning his prior allegiances as she abandoned hers.

But the heart of this episode is about character. It's about trust,and integrity. The integrity of Luke, who puts his city and its millions of people above the risk to his hard-won liberty. The trust placed in him and his friends by Misty, risking her entire career. And the trust of Foggy in Matt, smuggling in his Daredevil suit. The Hand and Elektra are divided, broken. But our gandg are, in the end, united. Even when it comes to Colleen's explosive plan.

Some of these relationships are fascinating. The deep mutual respect between Misty and Luke, and Misty's equally respectful understanding with Claire, perhaps the wisest character. The slow journey undertaken by Karen and Foggy to understand that Matt is Daredevil, and denying that is pointless.

It's all nicely done, and the characterisation is good. The episode is, perhaps, necessarily formulaic, and seeing protagonists in unfair legal trouble is never fun, meaning this episode isn't quite as entertaining as the last couple. But we seem set fair for a finale worth waiting for. Let's hope it lives up to its promise.

The Defenders: Take Shelter

 "You are the dumbest Iron Fist yet!"

This is a fascinating episode. The heroes are not yet fully a team, not least because Matt is hiding the truth about Elektra from them... but it's great to see them interact. But the greater friction is, of course, within the five fingers of the Hand. This is a particularly strong episode. All the pieces are out and the mid-game phase is underway.

Plot-wise, things are pretty simple. The heroes' loved ones are threatened by the Hand, so Misty is persuaded to give them protection. Elektra is the catalyst to everything. Matt is forced to confess her backstory, and insists that some part of the resurrected "Black Sky" remains Elektra- something which the ending seems to prove. Meanwhile, the baddies turn against Alexandra for her going off-piste in resurrecting Elektra. Oh, and Stick beheads Sowande, as you do.

There is so much lore being hinted at. Does Gao blind her acolytes, and does this explain Stick's origins? There are hints that there may be more to K'un Lun than is known to Danny. The Hand has "always" owned New York. Alexandra had a daughter before her pilgrimage to K'un Lun.

Deeper than this, though, is the characterisation. Karen and Stick are pulling Matt in opposite directions. Claire is utterly devoted to Luke, and a wise friend to Colleen. This is very well written and acted. It's nuanced, fascinating television, balancing the action with intrigue and solid characterisation. I'm impressed. The Defenders has been good from the start, but this is more.

The Defenders: Worst Behaviour

 "The Black Sky! We have it!"

The opening is thrilling. After Alexandra once again hints she may be older than she looks- did she know Istanbul when it was Constantinople and if so under a sultan or a basilius?- we get an incredible sequence in which a vaguely amnesiac Elektra is resurrected, trained, and used by the Hand. Wow.

What follows is equally awesome, as our four heroes follow their different leads to follow Midland Circle and all meet up fighting the rather combat-proficient board of said company... but not without some great character moments along the way. The early meeting between Luke and Danny is priceless. Luke's scepticism about the dragoins and mystic monks is a nice little meta touch, reminding us they're not quite from the same genre. But Luke's reminding Danny of his privilege packs a puch. As does the poor old lady's reaction to the news that Cole, her last surviving son, is dead.

Then their's Stick, escaping from Alexandra like the cool customer he is, casually mentioning a "lifetime of serving "K'un Lun": he's a proper dark horse, he is. And Jessica's private eyeing, finding out about Midland Circle by pretending to be some eccentric tech sis(?), and of course wondering what that suspiciously fleet of foot blind lawyer is up to.

But now, at last, they've all met! I'm loving this, and I can't wait to see what will happen next. But I'll have to, because I'm struggling to keep up with Loki and Gen V...

Ahsoka: Part Eight- The Jedi, the Witch and the Warlord

 "Perhaps this is where a ronin such as you belongs."

This is, perhaps, the perfect finale. A satisfying ending... and a very StarWars fairytale vibe. I'm not just taking about the zombie stormtroopers, awesome though they were.

Consider the fate of Morgan Elsbeth, who has worked so hard and sactificed so much. She is honoured by being accepted by the Great Mother asa witch- although at the further cost of absolute loyalty- yet, that same day, she is expected to sacrifice her life so that Thrawn may escape.

We have avreconciliation between Sabine, whose gambit has paid off, and Ahsoka who has learned that, like Anakin, she ought to show faith in her apprentice. And it is only after realising she is trusted that Sabine, at last, uses the force properly, in the time honoured way of making her lightsabre fly towards her hand.

Yes, Thrawn escapes. But so does Ezra. Ahsoka and Sabine are stranded on the other galaxy with Huyang but, it seems, there is a mystery that they need to unravel. For Baylan and Shin are both there too. We know not what they are planning, but there have been hints. I sense a second season.

This was superb. The reactioin will be interesting. There is, of late, a certain negativity towards Disney's Star Wars content that seems to bear little relation to the material itself. This caps an excellent season.

Ahsoka: Part Seven- Dreams and Madness

 "He was a good master."

On one level, this is a penultimate episode that serves to get all the pieces on to the chessboard. Thrawn and the witches seem to have Sabine and Ezra at their mercy until Ahsoka rescues them, meaning all three are reunited. Meanwhile, Thrawn seems to be using all this fighting as a bit of misdirection so that Ahsoka neither suspects nor stops his cunning plan toescape back to their home galaxy. I heavily suspect that bothe he and they will end up in the main galaxy after the finale.

Yet there's so much more. Baylan's agenda continues to be mysterious as he goes off on his own, leaving Shin with the imperials. Sabine yet again uses every excuse to avoid telling Ezra of her recent shameful deeds, putting her friendship for him above the safety of the New Republic. And there's a great opening scene with General Syndulla facing the music... until she is saved by none other than C-3P0, relaying that Senator Leia Organa sanctioned the mission. The late, lamented Carrie Fisher may be gone, but Leia is ever with us.

And yet... the ghost of Anaking still hangs over it all, from Ahsoka's recorded messages as she regains her old fondness for the old master who cared for her, and Thrawn's reaction to the fact that she is Anakin's apprentice.

I have certain expectatiins as to where the finale will end, but no idea how we will get there. Good stuff.

Ahsoka: Part Six- Far, Far Away

 "Something stirs here..."

This episode is, it's fair to say, an exhilarating ride.

I almost admire that, not for the first occasion in a Disney Star Wars show, the titular character is hardly in the episode. Indeed, Ahsoka and Huyang appear only in the opening scene, inside the whale(!) as, yes, Ahsoka reveals to Huyang that Sabine went with the baddies willingly, but all they really do is discuss philosophy and break the fourth wall while foreshadowing the upcoming themes. I love how Huyang's stories are named History of the Galaxy 1, 2 and 3, with 1 being the best, of course.The subtext here is... yeah, not very sub.

However, in a galaxy further, further away, bloody loads happens. The planet is Peridea, where space whales go to die, and it's home to some rather cool space witches, known of the old to the Jedi, who ride space whales... and Morgan is descended from them. Thrawn's grand entrance is teased, of course, until we finally see the battered Star Destroyer, some battered old Stormtroopers, an intriguind figure (a droid?) called Enoch... and Thrawn. Lars Mikkelsen certainly imbues him with presence and charisma.

As promised, Sabine is allowed to seek Ezra, riding a rather cute wolf thing, but she's on a long leash, intended to lead the baddies to Ezra so they can kill them both. The scene of her riding out of the camp feels to me, if I may mix my pop culture references, as though Sabine is leaving Mega City One to take the walk into the Cursed Earth.

But the baddies, being baddies, have multiple agendas of their own. Morgan is quite happy to abandon Baylan and Shin on this extra-galactic world forever. Yet Baylan, in a fasxcinating philosophical conversation with Shin which seems to echo that between Ahsoka and Huyang, has other ideas. He seeks something deeper than power, to restore the Empire which will in turn be defeated by the Jedi only for the Empire to emerge again, and on it goes. The wheel turns. Baylan seems to want to stop the wheel spinning; intriguing.

Sabine, via some adorable creatures camouflaged as rocks, finally finds Ezra... but it is bittersweet. For she knows, and so do we, how disappointed he will soon be when he finds out the circumstances of how Sabine came to find him.

Awesome stuff. Wow.

The Defenders: Mean Right Hook

 "We just go and find another team to join? An army?"

Oh boy. This is quite the episode. Our heroes are all investigating what seems to be a big, multifaceted conspiracy involving the hands from different directions, in what seems to be a well-constructed plot. There's so much going on, but the story is easy to follow, not an easy combination. I'm enjoying this very much.

Sigourney Weaver's dying Alexandra continues to fascinate, and not only because she can order around Madame Gao like an underling. Is she hinting, after her private performance by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, that she may be considerably older than she looks? Is this why Jessica traces the shell companies back to 1820 and finds it doesn't stop there?

I like the handling of the characters. Jessica is her irrepressible, irreverent self. Luke may be all loved up with Claire, but nothing will stop him doing the right thing. Matt, complete with an intervention by Foggy to give him work to be "another type of hero", is struggling with not being Darevevil: heroism as addiction. Danny is a right mardyarse: I fail to see what Colleen sees in him. Oh, and Misty is awesome.

At the end, excitingly, our protagonists meet. There's a hero vs. hero fight between Luke and Danny, in which we get to see what happens when the unstoppable force that is the Iron Fist meets the immovable object which is Luke. And Jessica's attorney is... Matt.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Ahsoka: Part Five- Shadow Warrior

 "I'm here to finish your training."

Yeah. It's fair to say a few things happened in this episode. I suspect it's one of those "event" episodes that may not much reward repeat viewings, but it packs quite a punch.

So, Anakin. I'm not sure where that otherworldly plane is supposed to be: clearly, in the "real world", Ahsoka is in the water, and needs to choose to live to be rescued. But the "training" scenes with Anakin, most of them flashbacks to the Clone Wars, are utterly absorbing. I won't pretend to have the answers, but I think we're being shown that Ahsoka is being held back by her worriesabout in some ways becoming what Anakin became. 

Then there's the extraordinary ending, as Ahsoka uses the awesome (and I mean that in the old-fashioned sense) Purrgil to jump across galaxies... hopefully to the right place.

Justas good as any of this is a nice little character moment, though: Huyang tells Hera that she takes these big risks because she cares, which is why people like her. Indeed. She is now going to face the music with the Senate while Ahsoka goes gallivanting about in other galaxies. Ahsoka has big moments, but doesn't forget the small character stuff. This is getting very good indeed.

Ahsoka: Part Four- Fallen Jedi

 "You know how it is. Once a rebel, aslways a rebel."

SPOILERS. Unless you've seen the episode, read on at your peril. You have been warned.+

Nice title. Has there ever been a pun that works on so many levels? Let us count them. Sod it, let's give this blog post an unorthodox structure, shall we?

1. We begin with Ahsoka and Sabine having literally fallen from the sky, their starshift lost in the woods.

2. Sabine, who has only just become Ahsoka's padawan again, gets a test of her mettle in combat, seems to decide not to try and use the force... but betrays her master to Baylan for the promise of meeting Ezra Bridger again, putting her feelings before the greater good. This is not the Jedi way. She falls at the first hurdle.

3. Ahsoka literally falls off a cliff, to what may or may not be an afterlife- I'm a little confused of the chronology, and I've not seen either Clone Wars or Rebels. Looks like I need to. Anyway, what's he doing there? Hayden Christiansen playing him again, no less.

I've no idea where this is going, but I suspect Sabine is not destined to be a Jedi. I loved Here's rebellion, general or not, with all her mates. And I love that the baddies have actually made the jump into this other galaxy. Big revelations can probably be expected not the series has taken such a massive change of direction.

I'm also loving Rosario Dawson's assured performance, and the superb comic turn from David Tennant as Huyang. What was already a dam good series is now, er, even damn gooder.

The Defenders: The H Word

 "People call me Foggy."

"And you let them?"

It's so good to see so many of these characters for the first time in ages. Danny and Collen I've only just seen, of course, and Darevevil was in She-Hulk, but I've missed the others.

As a first episode, of course, this just establishes where the characters are and develops them a bit. So Luke is freed from prison due to the sterling work of Foggy... and finally gets a room with Claire. About bloody time. Jessica is... drinking lots of bourbon, until she's drawn into a case by sheer stubbornness. Matt lis laying off the old vigilianteeism and realising he's in love with Karen, and the love triangle stuff with Elektra was unwise, despite his real feelings for her. Danny and Collen are back in New York in search of the Hand... the only possible Big Bad.

We meet an intriguing new character played by Sigourney Weaver who is told, in her very first scene, that she hasn't long to live; a fascinating writing choice. And we then find out that Madame Gao, no less, takes orders from her. That's quite a surprise.

For now it's slow, with the heroes not yet meeting. But that's fine; lots of characters to share screen time and be developed. So far I'm very much enjoying this.

Ahsoka: Part Three- Time to Fly

 "We almost died."

"Multiple times."

"Ah yes. Standard operating procedure."

This is a somewhat short episode but, yet again, it's a bloody good one, in terms of both plot and character. It is, though, centred on an utterly superb dogfight set piece that rivals anything in the films for drama. This series has the potential to be every bit as good as The Mandalorian.

There's a lot of fascinating plot development here. Despite what I assume are Mon Mothma's best efforts (she's Chancellor; is she head of state of the New Republic?), Hera meets with politocal scepticism that Thrawn is indeed out there, and is refused resources. Ahsoka and Sabine are on their own. Yet, atthe end, they discover that the baddies have nearly finished constructing a big artifact hanging in space: how very Star Wars. In this case it's a hyperspace ring which, it seems, is capable of travelling to another galaxy, using the intergalactic migration paths of Purrgil, intergalactic space whales. And, if the concept isn't cool enough, they actually bloody appear.

Even better, though, is the focus on training between Ahsoka and Sabine, with an extended scene with one of thosesightless hemets as worn by Luke in Star Wars. I loved everything about this training scene, which reminded me very much of a Shaw Brothers style '70s style kung fu movie from Hong Kong. The dynamic between them is great, as is Huyang's traditionalist pessimism.

I'm loving this. I'll do my best to blog the next episode a bit sooner.

Ahsoka: Part Two- Toil and Trouble

 "An ancient people from a different galaxy..."

I saw this episode while wondering whether I ought to have started watching Ahsoka at all. After all, it's the sequel to Rebels, an animation I haven't seen. But, I thought, I've started so I'll finish. I won't be the only viewer in this situation, to put it mildly.

And I'm glad I did. This episode has me hooked.

We begin with Sabine waking up receiving medical treatment. She lost the map to the attacking droid. Worse, she unlocked it, and it is now in the hands of their enemies... who use a sort of stone circle on the planet Seatos to reveal its pretty damn cool secrets: it details a path to another galaxy, where General Thrawn is said to reside. Yes, Thrawn, he who I know only from those Timothy Zahn novels from the '90s which I haven't read since John Major was prime minister. I suspect, while it may be the same character, that we're probably not looking at the same continuity. Nevertheless, this is conceptually awesome stuff.

So is the intrigue, as it becxomes clear there are imperial sympathisers on Coruscant, motivated by greed. There are ex-imperials involved in administrarion at every level... as there have to be. They were the only experienced officials when the revolution came. The same happened in the transition from Nazi Germany to the Federal Republic: it doesn't have to be a threat. One doesn't want something analogous to the de-Baathification debacle in Iraq. And yet... this threat seems serious, and clearly linked with the plot to bring back Thrawn.

If all this wasn't cool enough, I'm enjoying the tension between the worldly and wise Ahsoka and the rebellious Sabine as they are, at the encouragement of General Hera Syndulla, once again Jedi and Padawan... with the Padawan a Mandalorian, complete with helmet.

This is incredibly cool. I'm very much enjoying it.

Ahsoka: Part One- Master and Apprentice

 "Sometimes even the right reasons have the wrong consequences."

I'm familiar with the Star Wars movies, all of them, plus all of the live action Disney Plus stuff. I've even seen thse two '80s Ewok TV movies. But I've never seen the Clone Wars animation, or at least not yet. This had a minor effect on The Mandalorian as I had no prior knowledge of Bo-Katan. For this series, I fear, my ignorance is likely to look larger. Fortunately, we have what appears to me to be exposition for those such as my poor self. I've no way of knowing how much I say below will be familiar to those of you who have seen Clone Wars.

So Ahsoka trained as a Jedi, has a lightsabre and everything, and was once Anakin's apprentice until she walked away. She isn't quite a Jedi as such, although she has to work with her own former apprentice, the well-meaning but rebellious Sabine Wren. There was a Jedi called Ezra Bridger who went missing when the Empire fell, along with the mysterious General Thrawn, the big bad for whom all, goodies and baddies, are looking. Hopefully I have that right.

This is, however, a very promising beginning. This is very "trad" Star Wars, beginning with something very close to the scrolling texts from the films, the camera then panning to a large spaceship. We also have a lot of the movie serial homage stuff from the original Star Wars film- there's a secret map, we meet Ahsoka in a very Indiana Jones set piece- plus a nicely promising couple of Jedi baddies, Baylan Skoll and his young apprentice, whose name I didn't catch. The cliffhanger is superb, as the apprentice attacks Sabine and seems to stab her in the heart... surely they wouldn't kill her now? Also, David Tennant as a very Jedi-adjacent droid. Cool.

This is good stuff, purposefully avoiding characters from the films but absolutely evoking a very trad feel. More please. Oh, look. A second episode.

Iron Fist: Dragon Plays with Fire

 "It was someone much more treacherous than I..."

And so the season ends, at last. And the finale is, in the end, superb. What could have been a tiresome tale of false accusations turns out to be much deeper.

This is about Harold, the arch-manipulator, who always was the malevolent puppet master. I suppose we didn't need Gao to tell us it was Harold who arranged for the plane to crash, not wanting Danny's father to expose what was always his heroin operation. I'm sure I wasn't the only viewer who had more than an inkling.

But it's about more than that. It's about Ward redeeming himself, being loyal to Danny and enen showing some wise self-knowledge at the end. It's about Joy realising the terrible truth about her father, yet being perhaps easy prey for Davos trying to turn her against Danny as Gao smiles. It's about bad, abusive families and the damage they cause across the generations, some treatable, some bad. Colleen and Danny are a sweet couple but, as Claire says, they're both pretty damaged people.

I saw thend coming, too: K'un Lun is gone for the next fifteen years now. Yet Danny has learned a lot about himself, and what he wants to do as an Iron Fist: to be a hero. It's fitting that he and Ward are reconciled. Both of them have grown.

Yes, this series was uneven in places. But overall the final episodes are strong enough to make it a very impressive serial.

Iron Fist: Lead Horse Back to Stable

 "I wasn't chosen. You were. And you took it and ran."

Again we get a bloody good episode. You never quite know what you're going to get with Iron Fist, but this is two very good ones on the trot."

It's fascinating seeing the dynamic between characters here. First there's Danny and Davos, friends, brothers and rivals to be chosen as Iron Fist. Yet Davos sees his brother chosen instead of him... only for Danny to be seen to desert his post. Why? We're still not really told, although we see that Danny is supposed to guard the pass to K'un Lun until he dies. "You know what the rest of your life is going to be. Quite.

Then there's the newly reunited Harold and Joy, soon plotting with Danny and Davos to take down Bakuto. Joy has made financial jiggery-pokery possible, to lure Bakuto into a trap. Yet cracks begin to appear between father and daughter. Harold's new temper once more, and Joy's qualms about the plans to kill Bakuto.

Then there's poor Colleen, the only person in the show at this point who believes in Bakuto and the Hand. Even Claire, the conscience of the show, is disappointed in her. The attempted reconciliation with a bitter Danny doesn't go well, but her loyalties are divided. It's only when she's betrayed to Bakuto by her own former proteges- that must hurt- and about to be killed by the Hand that she heroically escapes, to be reunited by Danny. Yet she's broken, betrayed by the very thing she always believed in.

Intriguingly, Danny hints at understanding how she feels. There's more to be learbed here. But first, Bakuto...

Iron Fist hasn't exactly been consistent. But it looks to be headed for a strong finish. And yes, I know, Secret Invasion. I'll get round to it.

Iron Fist: The Mistress of All Agonies

 "Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is leave."

Argh. This episode could have been really good. The ideas are good, the plot is even good. It's just... the script and some of the performances are not up to par.

I'd exempt Wai Ching Ho from that though. She's a chillingly evil, gaslighting power who seems powerful even when tied up and interrogated, perhaps partly because she "spend most of the 17th Century being interrogated. Then there's David Wenham as the resurrected Harold, a kind of evil Captain Jack Harkness who, Ward is told by a rival, is fated to become a little more evil with each resurrection.

Harold has quite the journey, first acting like the wandering monster in Frankenstein before remembering who his is, ultimately killing his underling suddenly and callously on a whim. He's a dangerous man, manipulating Ward into the clutches of the same psychiatrist who "treated" Danny. And then Joy has the shock of her life, falling right into his manipulative clutches. If handled better, this could have been superb, with both Gao and Harold being manipulative and evil.

But there's more- Sacha Dhawan as an assassin after Danny. Our- and Danny's- proper introduction to Bakuto. Who is he? He certainly knows a lot, to the point of knowing more aboiut what the Iron Fist can do than Danny does.

This should be good. This is a fascinating plot, on paper. Why am I not enjoying this? Because by this point things are feeling a little off.

Iron Fist: The Blessing of Many Fractures

 "Are you a moron? You thought you could end a criminal conspiracy by destroying a few test tubes?"

Iron Fist continues to be inconsistent. This episode is, on the whole, quite good. The opening is clever: Danny suspects that Gao is after his friends, Colleen makes sure Claire is safe... and Danny finds the corpse of Harold, naturally assuming the Hand was responsible, with Ward, of course, not only allowing him to think so but twisted the knife. The contrast between Danny's naive goodness and Ward's damaged cynicism could not be clearer. And the contrast permeates the episode.

Ward and Joy are offered a prisoner's dilemma of a severance package: it must be accepted by both or neither. Both play games behind each others' backs, with Joy ultimately outsmarting her brother and rejecting it, believing sjhe can fight back. Yet she does so in a way she sees as being Ward's... gathering dirt on the board. The key brother/sister scene is very touching, with Ward resolving to tell Joy all. Yet he can't, seeing blood everywhere like Lady Macbeth, something that will surely continue... and ends by being a total arse to her. Yet again.

Danny, meanwhile, supported by a loving Colleen and a wisely critical Claire (I love the letter from Luke!), rather naively resolves to go to China and get at Gao there, which leads to some rather cool adventures, not least with a drunken boxer, although I'm not sure how he can still afford this after having been ejected from Rand, knowingly or not. There are some great character scenes with him, Colleen and Claire and much discussion of the ethics of killing and revenge. Yet the most cutting comments come from the boxer: is Danny really motivated by his loyalty, as Iron Fist, to K'un Lun? 

We end with triumph, as Danny captures Gao, but not before it looked as though he would kill her. It seems it was indeed Gao who killed his parents. 

This is actually good telly. Who knows what next episode will be like.

Iron Fist: Immortal Emerges from Cage

 "I had the fastest donkey cart in K'un Lun too."

Hmm. I liked the stuff with Ward's unravelling opioid addiction, sudden though it is, and Joy's alarm. I like the arse-kicking partnership between Colleen and Claire as they protect Radovan with their complementary talents. They're quite the team.

But the stuff with Danny and that monk from his past as he spends much of the episode fighting agents of the Hand in a contest... it's just a poor man's Luke from The Empire Strikes Back, isn't it? That monk is Yoda, encouraging Danny to destroy his ego, past and feelings to be Iron Fist. He cannot be allowed anger, lust, emotion, feelings. And he must focus only on destroying the Hand even at the expense of an innocent girl's life. 

Danny's act of mercy at the end is where he leaves Dagobah and metaphorically goes to Cloud City. He and the monk from his pazst turn their backs on each other. But... we've seen this all before. With Darth Vader. It's disappointing that an episode trying to show the depth of K'un Lun and its martial arts should be so derivative and shallow. I hope things donb't stay like this; this episode shows an alarming drop in quality.

Still, Madame Gao's revelations are shocking. She's lived in K'un Lunn? She has dirt on Danny's father...?

Iron Fist: Under Leaf Pluck Lotus

 "I want the leak under the sink fixed!"

Things get more and more intriguing. There's a new, synthetic heroin on the market, being pushed by the Hand, manipulating the Rand corporation. Yet there are other kinds of drug abuse too. Ward, ignoring Harold's calls, takes pills and gets high, much to Joy's consternatiion. And Rand's drug factory appears to be emitting chemicals that cause cancer in children. We see the dodgy ethics of big business, the dangers of under-regulated capitalism, and juxtapose this with the innocence of Danny.

Speaking of said innocence, this is the episode where Danny and Colleen start exuding huge amounts of sexual chemistry and it becomes clear, in the cutest possible way, that these two socially awkward martial artists rather like each other.

Conflict is brewing between Ward and Danny about business, that is clear. Yet we also start to see both the insidiousness and the power of the Hand, with Claire Temple turning up to explain what happened in Daredevil. Suddenly, Danny, fish out of water, has a purpose. And Colleen too.

I'm not sure we quite have a format or status quo yet, but thatr's no bad thing. I'm enjoying this,